Spring-motor.



H. L. PITMAN.

Patented May 6, 1913.

I l l H. L. PITMAN.

SPRING MOTOR.

APPLICATION mum SEPT. e, 1912 Patented. May 6, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 H. L. PITMAN.

SPRING MOTOR.

APPLIOATIQH FILED 8EP'1.6, 1912.

Patentd May 6, 1913.

4 BEEBTQ-BHEET 3.

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iii

H. L. PITMAN.

SPRING MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. e, 1912.

1,060,704. Patented May 6, 1913.

N 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4. 4 4 N I g i HENRY L. PITMAN, OF PINEVILLE, KENTUCKY.

SPRING-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6, 1913.

Application filed September 6, 1912. Serial No. 718,942.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hnsar L. PITMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at lineville, in the county of Bell and State of Kentucky, haveinvented certain new and useful Im n'ovements in Spring-Motors; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art. towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in spring motorsof the general tv )e covered by my pending application Serial Number(581,351.

The present invention comprises essentially means for relieving themtermeshin gear wheels of friction incident to the end thrust of thesprings as they are put under tension and also to relieve the wheelsentirely from the wei ht of the springs.

It has been founti by experience that, when a very powerful batter ofsprings, weighing say from four hun red to live hundred pounds, isemployed, it is absolutely impossible to secure the highest etliclencyof a motor of this type without provision of means for relieving thetransmission gears of friction incident to the end thrust and also theweight of the springs. So far as I am aware. no means have heretofore.been provided in the art for this purpose.

My invention comprises various other details of construction andcombinations and arrangements of )arts which will be hereinafter fullydescribed. shown in the accompanying drawings and then specificallydelined in the appended claims.

I illustrate my invention in the accolapauying drawings, in which Figurel is a top plan view of a portion of my spring motor. Fig. 2 is an enlared detail in elevation, partially in section. big. it is a detail of aportion of one side of the frame and showing the intermeshing gearwheels. Fig. 4 is a detail )artially in section showiu a core and shellfor the reception thereo Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the shell andcore connected thereto and illustrating a portion of a coiled springrelaxed about the shell. Fig. (I) is a similar view as Fig. 4 showingthe. spring under ten sion. Fig. 7 is an end view of a transmissiongear, and Fig. 8 is a central longitudinal sectional view through thedriving shaft, ratchet wheel and sprin 's directly connected thereto, aportion of t 1e recessed end being shown in section.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by numeral, 1designates the frame in which the oJeratiVe arts of the apparatus aremounte and 2 1s a driving shaft which is journaled in suitable hearingsin the frame and has keyed thereto a gear wheel 3 which, in the presentinstance, is shown as in'termeshing with a pinion -lupon a counter shaft5 to which power may be applied in any suitable manner. Said drivingshaft has keyed thereto a ratchet wheel 6 raving a socket 7 thereinthrough which the contracted end 8 of the driving shaft .2 extends, (Fi8). Said ratchet wheel is provided with a )ertures 9 formed therein towhich the ems of concentrically mounted springs 10, 10' and 10" arefastened.

It will be understood that the various concentrically mounted sprin swhich are of different diameters are of di erent gages of wire in orderthat each will require the same number of turns before reaching itslimit. For instance, assuming three springs concentrically mounted beingem )loyed, the outer one of which is formed of coils three inches indiameter and the spring forty inches ling, the wire being of one-fourthinch diameter, it would take about twentytive turns to art the sameunder tension to its elastic limit and, if the gage of the wire of thenext inner s )ring were the same, the coils being necessarily of asmaller diameter, it would take only about twenty turns to bring it toits elastic limit, while the inner most of the three springs beingformed of the same gage wire as the others would take a still lessnumber of turns in order to bring it. to its elastic limit. It will benoted, therefore, that the number of turns that may be imparted to allof the su )erimposcd sprin s working together \Vtllllt be dclcrminer bythe limit of the innermost spring which would be much less than thenumber of turns that the other two sprin s would take. It is desirablethat the springs take as many turns as possible and, to avoid thecontingency cited, it. is absolutely necessary to graduate the gages ofthe wire out of which the springs are coiled, the outermost being of thegreatest ga e and the innermost having wire of the smallest gage.

One end of the shell 11 (Fig. 8) is adapted to telescope within saidsocket portion of the ratchet wheel and is recessed as at 12, forming,in cooperation with the socket portion, a receptacle for containing alubricant. The circumference of said shell has a shoulder 13, and 14 isa beveled ring surrounding the shell and abut-ting said shoulder and thecircumference of said ring extends beyond the outer end of the shoulderand forms an abutment against which the marginal end of the wall of thesocket portion of the wheel bears when the parts are adjusted together,as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. \Vhile I have shown a beveled ringforming said abutment, it will be understood, if referred, the shell maybe so constructed t iat a projecting portion thereof may serve the samepurpose as the rin The bottom of said recess 12 is provided with acentral recess 12 adapted to receive the contracted end 8 of the drivingshaft and form a support for said shell. A core. designated by numeral16. has a contracted end 17 which telescopes within the shell and may beheld therein in any suitable manner as by means of a screw 18.

J ournaled on a stub shaft 21 mounted in .he frame of the apparatus is agear wheel 10 which wheel is provided with a socket 22, similar to thatdisclosed in Fig. 2 of the drawings. and the inner end of said stubshaft 21 is provided with a contracted portion 23 which engages a recessformed in one end of a shell 24, and which shell 24 receives the otherend of the core 16. The

wheel 20 has apertures 25 therein, as shown in Fig. 7. and in which thecorresponding ends of the springs 10, 10' and 10 may be fastened in anysuitable manner.

Mounted u )on the stub shaft 26, carried bv the end of the frame inwhich the stub shaft 21 is mounted, is a gear wheel 27 of identicalconstruction as the one before described and as illustrated in Fig. 7and which is in mesh with the wheel 20. A coiled spring 28 is fixed atone end in an aperture in the gear wheel 27 as are also thecorresponding ends the coiled springs 29 and 30, shown clearly inFig. 1. The gear wheel 27 has its socket 31 mounted a on the stub shaft26 and receives one end of a shell 31" jonrnaled upon the contracted end26" of the stub shaft 26, as shown in Fi 8. One end of the core 32telescopes within said shell 31" in a manner as shown in Fig. 4 and itsother end telescopes within a shell 83 similarly mounted upon a stubshaft 34 upon the frame, and upon which stub shaft 34 a gear wheel 35 isjournaled. A collar 36 projects from the wheel 35 and is provided forthe purpose of preventing the coils of the superimposed springs fromsqueezing in between the coils of the underlying spring. The gear wheel35 meshes with a gear wheel 37 journaled upon the stub shaft 38, and 39is a shell telescoping within the socket 40 upon the wheel 37, and 41designates a core telescoping within the shell 39 and its other endwithin a similar shell 42 which engages the socket 43 upon the gearwheel 44 wlnch in turn meshes with a similarly mounted gear wheel 45,receiving the shell 46 engaged by a similar core 47.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that thegear wheels are arranged in inter-meshing pairs, A, B and C mountedalternately at opposite ends of the frame and, while I have shown threepairs of inter-meshing wheels to which motion is imparted through themedium of obliquely disposed springs connected as shown, it will beunderstood that I do not limit myself to any particular number ofsprings employed, as obviously the battery of springs may be increasedor decreased as may be desired accordingly as a greater or less powermay be desired to be developed by the motor.

The parts being assembled as shown and described, the apparatus is putunder tension by rotating the driving shaft 2 through the medium of the.gear connection with the counter shaft 5 to which power may be appliedby crank or otherwise, As the driving shaft is wound, the coils of allthe springs in the battery are gradually contracted until they haveapproached the limit set. by the size of the cores. As the tensionincreases as more force is applied, the Springs which have directconnection with the ratchet wheel keyed to the driving shaft have atendency to reach the limits of their tension before the other springsof the battery reach theirs because of their closer connection to thesource of power. the inertia and friction of the other springs and partsto be moved by these springs tending to hold them back from rotating andthereby imparting to the other springs a portion of the cncrgv beingstored up in them. 'lhercfore, in order that every spring in the batteryshall receive its full proportion of the power being stored in theapparatus, an essential function in the successful operation of myimproved motor resides in the action of the innermost of the springswhich is adjacent to the core and the shouldered portion of the shellsat each end of this sprm" against which the end thrust is exerted. .Yhcnsaid innermost spring a 'iproaches its limit of elasticity. it frictionaly engages the core about which it is mounted and immediately before thesuperimposed springs approach their elastic imit. The coils arefrictionally in contact with one another, having a tendencv to extendthe spring with the ends thereof abutting against said beveled ringswhich abut a ainst shoulders formed u on the shell or in 'irect contactwith above ed shoulder in the event of the latter being formed integralwith the shell. Now when this condition of the spring is reacted,further rotation of the driving shaft by the source of power will resultin what I have termed the end thrust of the spring. This end thrust hastwo causes; first, the natural tendency'of the spring to extend orelongate itself as coil after coil is added to it in putting it undertension; second, the far more serious squeeze that occurs as follows: Inorder that a motor of a given size ma have as great a on acity aspossible, it is im ortant that eaci siring have as many coi s aspossible. To i lustrate, sup )ose we have a space fort-y inches'long inw iich. we are going to place a sprin coiled of onefourth inch wire. Ifwe uvide this space of forty inches by the diameter of the wire, it willgive the number of coils the spring will require when put to its limitunder tension. Performing the operation, 40 divided by equals 160, thatis the spring will require 160 coils when fully under tension. Now. ifthe spring is capable of takin say for instance 25 turns to wind it up,dizduct 25 from the 160 and it will give us the number of coils thespring should have when in a relaxed condition, that is 160 less 25equals 135 coils, the re uired nmnber. The greatest amount of end thrustis caused by the squeezing of one coil aga nst another as the wire isbeing pulled around the core time after time as rotation of the drivingshaft is continued by the source of power. The coils act as wedges aainst one another and, in the absence of he means I have shown. combineto exert an enormous end thrust against the transmission gears at theends of the springs and tend to convert the power into friction insteadof rotating the wheels to transmit the energy to the next. adjacentspring of the series. It is to re lieve the transmission gears and totake up this end thrust that I have provided the shoulder and beveledrings on the shells at the ends of the core about which the spriiws aremounted. 'lhesc shoulders confine tile springs to the limit and hohhthemfrom pressing outward on the transmission gears. Referring to Fig. (i ofthe drawings will be seen the position that the inner sprin assumes whenat the limit of its tension wit i one end bearing against. a beveledabutment ring. By this operation of the innermost of the s )rings, itwill be observed that the gear whee s are entirely relieved of the endthrust or pressure of the spring, thus avoiding unnecessary frictionupon the gear wheel which would greatly impair the eiiiciency of theoperation of the motor, When the innermost spring of the set havingdirect connection with thedriving shaft reaches its limit of tension, itforms a solid cylinder wit-h the core upon which it is mounted andfurther rotary movement of the operat ing shaft transmits energy to thenext adjacent set of springs which is in geared connection, as shown inFig. 1 of the drawings, and further rotary movement imparted to the nextadjacent set will have the same effect thereon as upon the first springand so on through the various sets of springs of the battery until thelatter is put to its utmost limit. By this particular arrangement andoperatlon of the apparatus, the largest amount of energy which thebattery of springs is capable of holding may be stored up in it by meansof a single driving shaft.

Another very essential feature in the successful operation of myimproved motor and by means of which the highest efficiency of theapparatus is obtained, resides in the means employed to relieve thetransmission ears of the excessive weight of the springs. it has beendemonstrated that, when a manber of heavy springs, the entire batteryweighing from two hundred to three hundred pounds, are employed, if thegears at the ends of the springs were required to suiport their weight,the large amount of friction resulting therefrom when the machine was inoperation would necessarily seriously lower the efficiency of thedevice. In order to relieve the transmission gears of the excessive wei'ht, I provide the stub shaft .26 carried by the frame, and a similarstub shaft for each transmission gear. Each of these stub shafts isprovided with a contraeted portion 26 designed to enter the recess 26 inthe end of each of the shells, forming a journal bearing therewith whichis designed to be continuously supplied with a lubricant from theadjacent lubricant receptacle 12. The entire weight of the springs beingborne by the shells which in turn are supported by the journals 26 onthe ends of the. stub shafts mounted in the frame of the apparatus, aneasy flow of energy from one set of springs to another through out theentire battery is obtained. producing the. highest ellicicncy of thedevice.

\Vhat I claim to be new is:

1. A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of gear wheelsintermeshing alternately mounted in suitable hearings upon oppositesides of the frame, a coiled spring connecting the. wheel of one pairupon one side of the frame with another gear wheel of another pair uponthe op 0- site side of the frame, means for preventing the end thrust ofthe spring bearing against. the wheels to which the spring is connected,and means for putting the spring under tension, as set forth.

2. A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of gear wheelsinter-meshing alternately mounted in suitable bearings upon oppositesides of the frame, a coiled spring connecting the wheel of one pairupon one side of the frame with'another gear wheel of another pair uponthe o posite side of the frame, a core about w neh spring is mounted,means engaged by the core and adapted to relieve the gear wheel of theend thrust of the swing, and means for putting the spring um er tension,as set forth.

3. A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of gear wheelsintermeshing alternately mounted in suitable bearings upon oppositesides of the frame, a coiled spring connecting the wheel of one pairupon one side of the frame with another gear wheel of another pair uponthe o posite side of the frame, a core about w nch spring is mounted,shells engaged by the ends of the core and adapted to relieve the gearwheels of the end thrust of the spring, and means for putting the springunder tension, as set forth.

4. A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of gear wheelsintermeshing' alternately mounted in suitable bearings upon oppositesides of the frame, a coiled spring connecting the wheel of one pairupon one. side of the frame with another gear wheel of another pair uponthe 0 mosite side of the frame, a core about wlnch each spring ismounted, shells enga ed by the ends of the core and provided withabutments adapted to receive the end thrust of the spring, and means forputting the spring under tension, as setforth.

5. A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of gear wheelsintermeshing alternately mounted in suitable bearings upon oppositesides of the frame, a coiled spring connecting the wheel of one pairupon one side of the frame with another gear wheel of another pair uponthe op 10- site side of the frame, a core about which each-spring ismounted, shells en aged by the ends of the core and each iaving alapping joint connection with a )lojection of the gear wheel. each ofsaid sliells having an abutment adapted to receive the end thrust of thespring, and means for putting the spring nmler tension, as set forth.

6. A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of gear wheelsintermeshing alternately mounted in suitable bearings upon oppositesides of the frame, a coiled spring connecting the wheel of one pairupon one side of the frame with another gear wheel of another pair uponthe 0 mosite side of the frame, a core about winch each spring ismounted, shells en aged by the ends of the core and each iaving alapping joint connection with a projection of the gear wheel andsupported independent thereof, each of said shells having an abutmentadapted to receive the end thrust of the spring, and means for puttingthe sprin under tension, as set forth.

7. spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of gear wheelsintermeshing alternately mounted in suitable bearings upon oppositesides of the frame, a coiled spring connecting the wheel of one pairupon one side of the frame with another gear wheel of another pair uponthe opposite side of the frame, a core about which each spring ismounted, shells en aged by the ends of the core and each iaving a la)ping joint connect-ion with a projection of the gear wheel, a lubricantchamber between each wheel and shell, each of said shells having anabutment adapted to receive the end thrustof the spring, and means forputting the spring under tension, as set fort 1.

8! A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of gear wheelsintermeshing alternately mounted in suitable bearings upon oppositesides of the frame, each gear wheel having a socket portion, a coiledspring connecting the wheel of one pair upon one side of the frame withanother gear wheel of another pair upon the opposite side of the frame,a core about which each spring is mounted, shells engaged by said core,each shell having a recess in the outer end thereof adapted to telescopein the socket portion of the wheel and having bearings independentthereof, an abutment upon each shell adapted to receive the end thrustof the spring, and means for putting the spring under tension, as setforth.

9. A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of gear wheelsintermcshing alternately mounted in suitable bearings upon oppositesides of the frame, each gear wheel having a socket portion, a coiledspring connecting the wieel of one pair upon one. side of the frame.with another gear wheel of another pair upon the opposite side of theframe, a core about. which each spring is mounted, shells engaged bysaid core, each shell having a recess in the outer end thereof adaptedto telescope in the socket portion of the wheel and having bear ingsindependent thereof, a stationary beveled abutment ring upon each shelladapted to receive the endthrust of the spring, and means for puttingthe spring under tension, as set forth.

, .10. A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of gear wheelsinter-meshing a lternately mounted in suitable bearing-s upon oppositesides of the frame, each gear wheel having a socket portion, a coiledspring connecting the wheel of one pair upon one side of the frame withanother gear wheel of another hair upon the o posite side of the frame,a core about w nch each spring is mounted,'shells engaged by said core,each shell having a recess in the outer end thereof adapted to telescopein the socket portion of the wheel and having bearings independentthereof, each shell provided with an extension shoulder, an abutmentring mounted upon each shell and bearingagainst said shoulder andadapted to receive the end thrust of the spring, and means for puttingthe spring under tension, as set forth.

11. A spring motor apparatus comprising,

a frame, stub shafts journaled therein, pairs of ear wheels journalcd,one upon each of suit shafts, a coiled spring connecting the wheel ofone pair upon one side of the frame with another gear wheel of anotherpair upon the opposite side of the frame, a core to which one 1 springis connected, shells, to the inner end of which the core is connected,the outer end of the shells engaging said socket portions forminglapping joints therewith and the inner end of each stub shaft, anabutment upon each shell adapted to receive the end thrust of thespring, and means for putting the spring under tension, as set forth.

12. A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, stub shafts journalcdtherein, pairs of gear wheels journaled, one upon each of said shafts, acoiled spring connecting the wheel of one pair upon one side of theframe with another gear wheel of another pair upon the opposite side ofthe frame, a core about whic each spring is mounted, shells, to theinner end of which the core is connected, the outer end of each shellengaging said socket portion and chambered with a recess in the bottomof the chamber for the reception of the inner end of said stub shaft, anabutment upon each shell adapted to reccive the end thrust of thespring, and means for butting the spring under tension, as set forth.

113. spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of intermeshinggear wheels mounted in suitable bearings upon opposite Sides of theframe, superimposed coiled springs of differentgages of wire connectingthe wheel of one pair upon one side of the frame with another gear wheelof another pair upon the opposite side of the frame, means forpreventing the end thrust of the springs bearing against the wheels towhich the springs are connected, and means for putting the springs undertension, as set forth.

14. A spring motor apparatus comprising a frame, pairs of intermeshinggear wheels mounted in suitable bearings upon opposite sides of theframe, each gear wheel having a socket portion, a coiled springconnecting the wheel of one pair upon one side of the frame with anothergear wheel of another pair upon the opposite side of the frame, a coreabout which each spring is mounted, shells having sockets formed in theinner ends thereof for the reception of the ends of said core, the outerends of the shells adapted to engage socket portions of the Wheels,forming lapping joints therewith, an abutment upon the circumference ofeach shell adapted to receive the end thrust of the springs, and meansfor putting the springs under tension, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

HENRY L. PITMAN. Witnesses A. L. HoUon, J. W. Snsawoon.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cent: each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Paton,

Washington, D. 0."

